Quarantine / Hospital Tank Set-up

[PrincessFish]

Hello all,

        I am going to setup a quarantine / hospital tank and would appreciate any advice.
1.  Is 25-30g too large?  And if so, why?
2.  Should the tank be empty?  ie no substrate or decorations.  Or should at least some decorations / hiding spots be maintained?
3.  Must the tank be kept running?  Or can it be left empty until such time as it is needed - assuming filter media from an active tank is available to be used to avoid cycling.
4.  Could it be maintained as a snail tank?  However this would mean that the parameters would differ from my main tank (ie higher pH & KH and lower CO2)
5.  What if the tank was kept very lightly stocked and the stock were moved into the main tank when the quarantine / hospital tank was needed for those purposes? 
6.  Could it have live plants in either scenario 4 or 5?

        Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!!

[darkdep]

1) No.  A Quarantine tank, by definition, is a separate place for new or sick fish to live while they are being treated or you're waiting to see their health.  It can be any size, but keep in mind the bigger the tank, the more medication you need to dose it...so many people use small hospital tanks.

2) This depends on the fish.  You want fish to feel comfortable.  I use a very thin layer of gravel, a big Hydrosponge filter (which doubles as a hiding place), and I would add a ball of Java moss.

3) No.  If you have the filter (I recommend a sponge filter) running in another tank, you can fill her up when you need it.  But, give the tank some time to stabilize it's temperature, say 12 hours at least (24 is better).

4) If you're going to maintain it with different chemistry from your main tank, you're deviating from the purpose.  But, if the parameters aren't too far off and you're not dealing with super sensitive fish, you should be ok.

5) Bad idea.  If you are quarantining because of a disease outbreak, then you are just moving new fish into a situation where they may get sick.

6) Sure.

[PrincessFish]

Thank you DarkDep!

[groan]

with #3, when the tank is to be used would it be a good idea to take water from an existing tank to fill it?

like if you have a 10 gallon hospital and a 70 gallon main, take 10 from the main to fill the hospital (if that is where the fish will end up or where they come from).

[darkdep]

That doesn't hurt for sure.